Campbell planning killed in snowmobile accident is remembered as a mentor who 'lived life to the fullest'

Those are just a few of the many adjectives used to describe Bob Roseberry, longtime planning commissioner who died in a snowmobile accident on Feb. 15 on a trail near Bear Valley Village in Alpine County.

Doctors are trying to determine whether Roseberry suffered a heart attack before the snowmobile he was driving hit a tree and ejected him and his wife, according to the couple's daughter, Andrea.

Roseberry died at the scene of the accident. His wife, Paulette, suffered major injuries and was transferred from Doctors Hospital Modesto to UC-Davis Medical Center.

Andrea said her mother is in a stable condition and is in an induced coma so doctors can monitor the pressure on her brain. Doctors will wake her once the pressure has stabilized, she said.

All plans for Roseberry's funeral are on hold until Paulette awakens, Andrea said.

Roseberry, 60, served nine years on the planning commission, according to city manager Mark Linder. He was vice chairman at the time of his death.

Paul Resnikoff, chairman of the commission, said Roseberry was liked and respected by his peers. New commissioners frequently looked to him for guidance, he said.

Commissioner Phil Reynolds described Roseberry as a leader and a mentor.

"He had a personality that drew people to him," he said. "He's going to be missed--tremendously missed."

Advertisement

Resnikoff said Roseberry's low-key demeanor and knowledge of issues facing the commission helped to bring the group to agreement.

"He was a consensus-builder," he said.

Gary Filizetti, President of Devcon, said Roseberry worked at Devcon for about 12 years before taking a break and working elsewhere. He returned to Devcon four or five years ago.

Roseberry first worked as a superintendent in the field before becoming a project manager and eventually a senior project manager. San Jose City Hall and the Gilroy Library were two of his significant projects, Filizetti said.

Andrea said her father retired from Devcon about two or three weeks before his accident. She said he was planning to find another job but was enjoying some leisure time.

"He was 60 but he thought he was really 35," she said.

Andrea said her parents met each other at Devcon. Paulette began working at Devcon when she was 19 and is now a senior project manager.

Andrea, 18, described her father as a hilarious person who always had something encouraging to say. He told his daughter to pursue whatever made her happy.

"He always wanted to help me out. He was always there for me," she said.

Andrea is taking pre-med classes at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore.

Roseberry's father was a career military officer, and Roseberry lived all over the world during his childhood. He was born in Japan, according to his cousin Ed Roseberry, of Saratoga.

Roseberry graduated from University of Virginia in the mid 1970s, Ed said. The cousins headed west to California together in 1978.

"We were two intrepid travelers on an adventure, seeking our fame and fortune," Ed said.

In the late 1980s, the pair bought a house together in Sunnyvale and remodeled it "from stern to stem." A year and a half later, they sold their house and used their money to fund their weddings.

Ed said he met his wife Michelle at the same time Roseberry met Paulette. The cousins bought houses at about the same time, Roseberry in Campbell and Ed in Saratoga.

Ed said Roseberry was a "super" water skier in his youth. He took tight curves, could throw a tail of water with his skis and could get so low that he was almost parallel with the water, Ed said.

"It was unbelievable. ... He handled the water like it was second nature to him," he said.

Roseberry also loved winter sports, such as hockey, skiing and snowmobiling. The last time Ed saw Roseberry was when they attended a Sharks game together over the holidays.

Ed said the Roseberrys hosted parties frequently.

"They have a very large extended set of friends, many of whom are also like family," he said.

His 60th birthday party in September was "jam- packed," Ed said. "People flew in from out of town." Roseberry lived life to the fullest, in a responsible way, Ed said. Roseberry "wasn't afraid of adventure" and enjoyed doing things. The cousins balanced each other, as Ed was more laid back, he said.

"For me, it was a real pleasure to be part of his adventures," Ed said.

Jay Alman, of Sebastabol in Sonoma County, met Roseberry in 1975 when they were working construction for a hospital in Charlottesville, Va. Alman ended up renting a house from Roseberry and they became close friends.

Alman moved to California in 1979. The friends spent every New Year's Eve together except one year, when Alman went to his brother's wedding in Peru over the holidays.

"As close as you can be, that's how close we were," he said. The pair were in each others weddings and were like uncles to each other's kids.

Alman described Roseberry as compelling, engaging, fun-loving and intelligent.

"The only thing bad I can say about him is that he lived too far away from me," he said.

Alman said Roseberry absolutely adored his wife.

"He was very good at sharing and living. He was a great father, and his kids reflect that," he said.

"The only thing that would have been worse than losing him is never knowing him at all," he said.